Leaky Drain & Teaching Session

Everything went pretty smoothly with Aiden's surgery but we did have one very minor thing occur...a leaky drain. It happened about six days after surgery. When Michael and I had gone to do a dressing change, I noticed that there was a little area that looked like it had been bleeding. I didn't think much of it at first as it was a very small area. Then I started noticing that one of the drain tubes wasn't filling up very much. I also didn't think too much of this because that side had always been less than the other one so I thought maybe it was done draining.

Well, the next day, I had to drive Michael to the airport. We had planned on doing the dressing change prior to him leaving but it just didn't work out. When we got back to the hotel, I noticed that the side of his pajamas was a little wet. So, I took a look at the dressing and he was SOAKED in fluid. I didn't panic because some of the other moms had told me that this had happened to them, so I emailed Dr. Bauer to see what he would advise me to do.

In the meantime, I had to come up with a different way to do the dressing so that it didn't keep leaking through clothes. Well, Aiden wasn't cooperating very well so I was very happy that my good friend, Nadia, was still at the hotel to help me out. She was a great distraction for Aiden and I was able to concoct a better solution until I heard word from the doctor.

Dr. Bauer emailed me back within a few hours (yes, he is that awesome to email back on the weekends) and told me that as long as it is draining then it really doesn't matter where its draining. To be honest, I wasn't 100% loving this answer because I was all by myself for another full day and it was difficult to change the dressing on my own. Normally, I would only have to change the dressing once but because it was leaking so much fluid out, I had to do it more frequently.

So the next morning, I decided to call Dr. Bauer's nurse, Mim, to see what she would say. The fluid was going down at this point so she said I could either come in or wait until Thursday when I was scheduled to have the lesson on expansion. I told her that I needed to come in anyways because I was running out of supplies due to changing it so often. So she told me to come on in. I headed over in the afternoon and had the one leaking drain pulled. Aiden and I also got to meet Susan, Dr. Bauer's other nurse, who is just as fabulous as Mim is. Aiden loved both of them too! I was much happier!

Here is what the drains looked like. The one closer to his back is the one that got pulled early.

A few days after the drain incident, Aiden, my mom and I were back at Dr. Bauer's office. This time was to learn how to do the expansion. I had been told that the nurse would do one and that I would do the other one. This caused me to have a lot of anxiety that morning. I felt sick to my stomach as I drove over there...I just didn't want to do this but I knew I had to.

There was no turning back now so I tried to not focus on it. I remember looking at my mom with this complete look of fear and wishing we were elsewhere. However, I will tell you that I had prepared myself for something much worse. Once Susan started showing me the materials, I felt a little bit better. I had envisioned this gigantic needle for some reason and I HATE needles but after I saw it, I thought "I can do this...maybe."

We had put on the lidocaine for numbing before we left the hotel, so Aiden was all set to go. First, you get all your supplies ready to go and make sure everything is clean. Then you take the needle (which is attached to a syringe filled with saline) and insert into the center of the port. The port is located under the skin in an area close to the location of the expander. So, Aiden has one in his upper chest and another one down by the top of his diaper. Susan was going to have me fill the back one but then decided that it may be easier for me to try the chest area because she felt that the port was a better example for a first time learner. I was a little uneasy about this because I knew that Aiden would be looking right at me while I stuck this needle in but I needed to get used to that at some point anyways. Susan reassured me that I would be fine.

Susan went first and Aiden cried for a bit when the needle went it. She said that it was probably because the port was a little bruised and sore and not because he wasn't numb. I felt a huge amount of relief after watching her do it. She had a good way of teaching me with her calm attitude. She was able to get in 40cc. When it was my turn, I took a deep breath and in I went. It took less than a second to be in the port and within a few minutes, I also had 40cc in. Susan congratulated me on what a great job I did. That was a even bigger amount of relief lifted from me because I really didn't think I was going to do good at all. She allowed me to go home with a little bit of confidence to be able to accomplish this 11 more times at home. Hopefully that will be the case!

The belly expander now has 115cc in and the back expander has 130cc! Check out his little bubbles!

White blob is the numbing cream!

Back expander with 130cc

Belly expander with 115cc

Susan pulling the other drain out! 

Aiden with Mim

Finally a bath! 

Now, every week (as long as there are no issues) we will fill the expanders and watch them grow. Thanks everyone for following along and supporting us along the way!

And...I got word today that my next shipment of cookbooks is shipping TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!! So exciting! If you still need a copy or are interested in helping me sell these next 400 copies, let me know! They make great gifts and with Christmas not too far behind us, it will be perfect!!!!!!!! Thanks again everyone who has already supported Aiden through the cookbook. It has helped out so much and I know it will continue to help out with the upcoming surgeries in Aiden's future!